Colorado gaming regulators are proposing changes that would explicitly allow threats against athletes and others connected to sports to become grounds for exclusion from the state’s casinos. Officials discussed the amendments during a November 12 stakeholder workshop. The proposal has not yet been adopted.
The changes would expand the grounds considered under Limited Gaming Rule 29, which already provides a process for removing people whose conduct threatens licensed gambling or public safety.
Physical Threats Could Lead to Exclusion
The proposed additions address threats of physical harm against athletes, their immediate families, coaches and other team personnel. They also cover sports governing bodies, gaming establishment staff and customers, and employees of the Colorado Division of Gaming.
Regulators also want explicit grounds to exclude people involved in insider betting or attempts to manipulate sporting outcomes. These provisions would connect misconduct involving sports more directly to the casino exclusion process.
The Existing Process Includes a Right to Challenge
Under Colorado’s current rules, the Division of Gaming petitions the Limited Gaming Control Commission to exclude an individual. The commission decides whether exclusion is justified and sets its duration. When no duration is specified, the default is permanent.
A person receiving an exclusion notice can request a hearing within 30 days. Once an exclusion takes effect, licensed casinos must keep that person off their premises.
Online Sportsbook Bans Remain a Separate Issue
The practical reach of the proposal has a limit. Supervisory investigator Chris Krieger told the workshop that the division currently cannot require sports betting operators to exclude everyone placed on the involuntary exclusion list, according to Legal Sports Report.
Officials strongly recommend that sportsbooks do so. A casino exclusion therefore should not be treated as an automatic statewide shutdown of someone’s online betting accounts.
A Formal Hearing and Vote Still Come Next
The amendments must proceed through formal rulemaking before taking effect. Legal Sports Report reported that a public hearing could occur no sooner than 30 days after a formal notice is filed, followed by a commission decision.
The move follows a September appeal from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS and their players’ associations for stronger action against threatening bettors. Colorado’s proposal would give those concerns a more explicit place in its casino exclusion rules.
